Intro to FJs

The biggest thing to remember about FJs is that they are NOT 420s. An FJ has smaller blades, a bigger jib, and a narrower hull. it does NOT want to plane in breeze, yet loses nothing on a good tack. That said, there are lots of things to think about.

Boat Set-Up
When you go down to rig an FJ, there are a few things to remember.

1. Bowline - Tie the bowline to the mast, under the jib sheets. You want it tight enough so that the jib sheets can wrap around the halyard cleats during tacks. Just make sure that you don't put load on the line as it will then bend the mast.


2. Hiking Straps - Tie the hiking straps up for the cleat. On a lot of new boats, there is bungee holding the straps up to the bale for the vang. On older boats, you can jury-rig this with the end of the jib halyard or take some bungee with you. If you do not tie the straps up, then there is no guarantee that the crew can find them.
   
   To jury-rig with the jib halyard, (1) after you finish off your cleat, take a turn back around the horn. (2) Run the halyard through the eye on the port strap and make a knot - I use a bowline. (3) Go up through the bale of the vang and down to the eye on the starboard strap. (4) Tie it off to the starboard strap at the correct height - usually another bowline. Just make sure that you aren't loading up the bale on the vang with the strap. You want it still tied in to the bottom of the boat.


3. Jib Halyard Tension - Max it out in flat water. At the Mallory a few years ago, the California teams had their jib halyard cranked as tight as possible. The breeze was up and down, but the water really flat.


4. Main Halyard Tension - Just get the sail all the way up. A few speed wrinkles aren't always bad if they are running vertically down the sail.

Jib Trim
In an FJ, whatever you do, do NOT over-trim the jib upwind.

• Light Air - You have to make sure that you keep checking the slot. As soon as it closes off, you will start going sideways. Also, skippers, you cannot steer with the puffs. If you need to head up into a puff, tell your crew to ease out a click (ratchet blocks make trimming easy). To bear the boat off, just give a tiny trim in. It is also extremely critical to NOT over-trim the jib off the line or out of tacks. Again, it's a big sail with a small board so you'll just go sideways.
  
  In light air, that jib should never really stop moving. The whole way up-wind, the crew should be looking to see that all of the tell-tales are streaming evenly up the sail. As the pressure builds, the sail can come in. As it drops, you will have to ease.


• Medium Air - An FJ wants the rails weighted early. This means that you want to bring the crew up on the rail as soon as possible (even if you are both just pressing your backs to the tank). Once you are at this point, the jib can start to come in all the way, but still be ready to ease in a big lull. Crews, make sure you have a good grip on the jib sheet. As you move in and out of the boat, the sail has to stay trimmed. You don't really want to strap the foot of the sail in moderate conditions, but you should be able to point.


• Heavy Air - Once the skipper is easy-hike-trimming, so should the crew. Timing is everything in pulling this off, so you have to talk. In big puffs, the crew is going to have to ease the jib off about an inch to an inch+ as the skipper eases and then bring it back in at the same time. Be careful not to have the jib over-trimmed, this will cause the main to back and you will slide sideways.

Downwind, when sailing on a reach, the crews really need to trim the jib more like a spinnaker. Make sure that you have pressure in the sail, and that you are holding it way out. Again, you don't want it over-trimmed. If it starts to blow, make sure to keep playing the jib through the ratchet blocks on the rail.

You can wing the jib in an FJ. The only exception is that when it nukes, the crew has to play the wing from the leeward rail. Get in time with the skipper and pump the jib as they pump the main. Skippers, remember that one good pump off the main can keep you from Death Rolling.

Jib Cars
It's hard to explain, but your jib cars need to be adjusted so that the leech of the sail hooks in evenly. Imagine that there was a batten at the top seam of the jib. (Much like the top batten of a main). You want the top seam to be parallel to the clew, much like the top batten should be parallel to the boom.

If you move your cars forward, then you start trimming the top of the sail first. In light air, you will move the cars forward.

If you move the cars back, then you trim the foot first, bringing the sail in tighter at the bottom. This will allow the top of the sail to twist off and flatten the bottom. This is the goal when it gets heavy.

Main Trim
Upwind, once your crew is on the rail, it's hard to over-trim the main. You almost want to hear the mast break back. (It makes a kuh-kunk sound.) If it's light, same rules as a 420 applies. Once it nukes, your focus is on keeping the boat flat by easing WITH your crew.

Boat Handling
Once the crew is on the rail, then tack backwards. That's something that you have to work out for your self. However, the biggest issue is upwind sailing. Whatever happens, DON'T LET THE MAST MOVE. In an FJ, this is critical. You have to anticipate both the puffs and the lulls to just keep the boat flat.

The other thing to remember is to be SMOOTH and GENTLE. Any massive movements - particularly downwind - and the boat will capsize. Do not over-roll your jibes. This has to be smooth. You won't get the big loopy jibe like in a 420, no matter what you do, because the board is so small.

Heavy Air Sailing

Just a review of things to do when it starts to blow.

1. Rig Tension - as it starts to build, check your jib halyard tension. Remember that as it builds, add more. To check your tension, get the boat sailing flat and upwind. Let go of the tiller. If you crash-tack, add more halyard. If you have lee-helm, let it off.


2. Outhaul, Cunningham, Vang - You want to pull on more in this order. Flatten out the foot first, then move the draft forward in the main with cunningham. Finally, crank down the vang. Remember, even in moderate breeze you need some vang - enough that when you ease the main in the puffs, the boom should go out parallel to the boat and not up.


3. Hiking Straps - As it builds, you are going to need to loosen these up so that you can hike farther. This is something that we usually ignore.


4. Center Board - This becomes critical on reaches. You can have more up than you think. If you are planing into a jibe, leave it up! Otherwise, the boat trips over the board and capsizes.